$15 Million Jets Leader Emerges as Top ‘Trade Chip’
The New York Jets might not be done shipping off key pieces to the puzzle.
Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report revealed each team’s “Most Valuable Offseason Trade Chip” in a column. For the Jets, he listed defensive tackle Harrison Phillips.
“They may have something in the younger and less expensive Jowon Briggs, and it makes sense to address the interior defensive line in the draft. Phillips has a good track record, but he would have more value with a 2026 contender in his age-30 contract year,” Gagnon explained.
The NFL trade deadline has already passed for the 2025 season. The next time teams can officially execute trades is in March after the start of the new league year.
Analyst Has the Right Temperature on the Jets
Phillips, 29, will turn 30 before the start of the 2026 season. He is closer to the end than he is to the beginning of his career.
If he has desires of playing for a contender, it is more likely than not he will find that outside of the Jets building. The green and white are 2-8 and have no short or long-term QB answer on the roster.
Perhaps that’ll change during the offseason with some splashy trade, free agent signing, or draft pick, but right now that is a big unanswered question. If you don’t have a quarterback, you can’t compete in the NFL.
Briggs, 24, will turn 25 before the start of the 2026 season. He has been impressive this season for the Jets since being acquired from the Cleveland Browns.
However, we don’t know if Steve Wilks is going to keep his job as defensive coordinator. So we don’t know what defensive scheme the Jets will be running: 3-4? 4-3? The answer to that question could indicate how big a need defensive tackle is for the Jets.
Jets Just Might Want to Keep Phillips
Right before the start of the 2025 season, the Jets struck a trade with the Minnesota Vikings to acquire Phillips.
Phillips had signed a two-year $15 million contract. If the Jets wanted to cut Phillips after this season, there is an out built into the contract. They could part ways without taking on any dead cap for that decision, per Spotrac.
However, his $7.5 million cap hit for 2026 is super reasonable. According to Over The Cap, Phillips’ $7.5 million annual salary ranks 38th among the highest-paid defensive tackles in football.
In other words, the Jets shouldn’t be in any rush to dump Phillips. He has been a good player for the Jets and has stepped up to fill the leadership void left by Quinnen Williams, who was traded to the Dallas Cowboys.
The former Stanford product has started in all 10 games for the Jets this season.
In his eight-year NFL career, he has appeared in 106 games. With those opportunities, Phillips has collected 8.5 sacks, 30 quarterback hits, 17 tackles for loss, 11 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, and has 344 tackles.
I spoke with Buffalo Bills analyst Anthony Prohaska on “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” After the Phillips trade, Prohaska told me that Phillips will never be a true No. 1 defensive tackle, but he can be that consistent No. 2 guy forever.
Phillips spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Bills in western New York.
Broncos Part Ways With CB After Injury as Cutdown Day Looms
As the 2025 NFL preseason comes to a close, all 32 NFL teams will soon shift their focus to looming roster cuts. Cutdown day is Tuesday, August 26, when teams must be down from 90-man offseason allotments to 53-man totals. That creates a series of obstacles for every organization, and the Denver Broncos are no different.
Entering the weekend, general manager George Paton got a head start on that roster construction. Unfortunately, it came at the expense of an injured player who wasn’t tracking to count against it anyway.
Per the league transaction wire, cornerback Gregory Junior was waived (no recall) from the injured reserve list with an injury settlement.
Broncos Waive CB Gregory Junior With Injury Settlement
This move shouldn’t come as a massive surprise. It’s more of a procedural move by Paton just a day before the Broncos’ final preseason outing of the summer. Just a week prior, Junior was designated as waived due to a hamstring ailment. Denver’s joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals caused him to eventually pass through waivers following the injury and return to the team on IR.
Junior was originally a corresponding move to defensive back Micah Abraham being signed.
An injury settlement isn’t all doom and gloom for Junior, though. On the contrary, it likely makes plenty of sense for him. If he wasn’t going to make the team anyway, being waived directly from IR with that settlement helps him recoup some money and, potentially, even more time. Depending on the nature of the injury, he’d be free to sign with another team once the settlement expires. Had he stayed on IR, his 2025-26 season would’ve been over.
Junior, 26, signed with the Broncos back in May. The former sixth-round pick has 10 games of regular-season experience under his belt, all coming with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s split time evenly between defense and special teams, logging 111 snaps in each realm. In those opportunities, the former Ouachita Baptist standout recorded 17 tackles (2 for loss) and a pass broken up.
After leaving Jacksonville but prior to joining Denver, Junior spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers organizations.
Updated Look at Denver’s Secondary With Week 1 Approaching
It’s no secret that the Broncos’ defense is their key to success. Last year, for instance, Vance Joseph’s unit led the sport in EPA/play allowed per SumerSports. They also ranked first in lowest EPA/pass surrendered. To top it all off, they set the standard in Eckel rate — percentage of drives either ending in a touchdown or having a first-down snap inside the 40-yard line — at sub-40%. The secondary played a big role in that dominance and will do so once again.
The straw that stirs the drink is undoubtedly cornerback Pat Surtain II. He does have some help at the position, as evidenced by someone like Riley Moss, Ja’Quan McMillian or 2024 fifth-round pick Kris Abrams-Draine. The non-Surtain headliner, however, is rookie first-rounder Jahdae Barron. A favorite to play in the slot and find success as a rookie, Barron gave Broncos fans a scare with an injury this week but will be just fine.
The safety room has some new faces. Talanoa Hufanga is one of the prized pickups of the offseason, coming over from the San Francisco 49ers on a multi-year deal. He’s complemented by fellow signing Brandon Jones and internal options like P.J. Locke and JL Skinner.
Somehow, this may be the best version of the Broncos’ secondary. That’s scary to think about if you’re the rest of the NFL.
